(A thank you to Teddy, who sent this to us) This is the perfect compliment to Saturday’s St. Regis (which is still for sale, bee tee dubs) and likely won’t be up for sale for very long. Either the seller is uncommonly generous or everyone else is just getting greedy with their ’80s classics, but for $1000, I’m inclined to believe the former.

It could be that people expect a proper GLH to have a snail strapped to the exhaust manifold, but this wouldn’t be a bad price for even a garden variety Omni 2.2 in this condition. Yes, there are some faded panels, and the mileage is unlisted, but there’s no rust and if this car spent its life in Missoula, Montana (where it’s been listed), it lived largely free of exposure to extreme heat and traffic. For a grand, one can overlook the flaws.

That the seat covers have been left in place for the photo either means the seller is somewhat lazy or that the upholstery’s been torn up. There’s reason to hope this is not the case, since the rest of the interior is in very nice shape.

Here is what the rear seats look like, with some obvious sun damage to match the oxidized paint on the roof and the hatch. I’ll take sun damaged original paint over a mystery refinish. As an aside, look at how much space is back there with the front seat pulled pretty well back; these were roomy cars.

Just to make clear, having no turbo doesn’t make this a slow car. With 110 horsepower out of 2.2 liters (a respectable output for the day) motivating a rather light box, it would feel sprightly today–if not fast–with enough torque to corrupt the steering. Those fifteen inch wheels are quite big too, considering the car’s size and weight, so there is reasonable grip to make the most of the stiffened suspension.

This car fits right into Mopar’s tradition of hot small cars, from the souped-up A-bodies which came before it to the hyper Neon ACRs which came after. In upholding that legacy, it’s a classic even without a turbo. Given that we get so many hits every day and with this being so attractively priced, there’s reason to hope that one of our readers will take the plunge and buy this silver hatch.

58 Comments

Ooh, a very nice find, Perry! Love the pitting (patina) on the front bumper attesting to probably serious mileage, first generation VW GTI’s did the same thing. And a red interior to boot, what’s not to love (for $1000)?

I looked again and noticed a 2″ receiver hitch, bonus! And the roof looks like it has been primered in flat black (maybe going for a faux M3 CSL look or something?). Either way, neither item would turn me off. I’m checking to see how far Missoula is from me since I am now a Mopar Man 🙂

Great find. This exactly the sort of thing I’d buy if I was choosing to a budget. Rather than wait for the absolute car I absolutely have to have, I’d take the plunge on something as clean and as interesting as this. If it didn’t work out, you’re only a grand out of pocket assuming you can’t resell it.

Unless the actual mileage is ridiculously high this isn’t too bad. However, didn’t these cars have a “ground effects” package that gave them extended/flared rocker panel covers? I don’t think the seat covers are all that worrying, and wouldn’t let them put me off at this price point.

You are correct they do have a ground effect package which I also did not see I have an 85 glh 2.2 Turbo which has the side ground effects same color as this car. If anybody reads this it is for sale in Upstate New York been garage kept for many years Colorado car

At least, that’s what Carroll Shelby said “GLH” stood for, but he had a way of embellishing things…such as the stories of several “forgotten” Cobra chassis in his possession, over 30 years after production ended.

Wow, a car that totally blended in to the landscape in 1986 looks amazing nearly 30 years later! I find this little car to be totally refreshing in a world of rounded techno-vehicles of today. There is something to be said about the shape of a car allowing the most optimal interior space, as these cars always felt roomy and seemed larger inside than they appeared outside. I especially like the GLH package with those awesome wheels and blacked out trim. Cool find!!!

Yeah, left side HVAC controls were always strange. I think Ford did it the most. Off the top of my head, the ’67-68 Mustang springs to mind. Does anyone know if there are any GM cars with left side HVAC controls?

I thought the Omnirizon was a pretty good package. IIRC they started out with a VW power plant and improved with the change to the 2.2. I needed a truck so these never really worked for me but they seemed to be made pretty well made.

That is correct, I had a 1980 Omni 024 Sport. The engine was a VW sourced 1.7L. It had VW and Audi logos cast into the block. I believe that 1981 was the first year of the Chrysler 2.2 which became a mainstay for most smaller Mopars for years.

Looks nice enough, especially for the price. Sure would like to know the story behind it, though. Maybe something to do with that trailer hitch. Regular towing probably wasn’t too good for the drivetrain, even if it was gently done. Maybe the clutch is toast.

I was going to ask how anyone could be attracted to this car (FWD four door) till I saw the 2010 Acura TSX V6. I guess everything really is relative. This car certainly looks a lot better than my jellybean Malibui, a bodystyle wihich debuted in 1997. The Omni/Horizon style dates all the way back to 1977. They still made Pintos back then.

No offense to the Acura owner. If it’s what you like, go for it. Among car enthusiasts, there will always be a never ending debate about which cars are best. While I have a ton of opinions about which cars I like and why, I am heavily biased toward vintage cars. I would much rather have an Edsel than any modern car.

Timely article. The Velocity show ‘Fat and Furious’ just highlighted an 86 GLH-S. I used to own an 84 which were non turbo. The show the other night made me dig up the attached photo and send to a friend. Harsh ride with the stiffer suspension, but handled amazing. These were obviously pretty cheap cars in their standard form and the GLH just glorified versions, but a friend of mine had the Shelby version with turbo inter cooled and that thing would embarrass many 5L mustangs etc.

No thanks, my wife (then girlfriend) owned a 1984 example and it was not quick, nor fast, nor handled well. If fact it did nothing well and was ugly. My 1979 1.7L VW powered Horizon TC3 was way quicker and handled much better although it was in worse condition.

An entire NSRT-4 drivetrain is the way to go…the transaxle is stronger, and includes an LSD which will combat the torque steer. With this car weighing next to nothing, it would be a total rocket. And the idea of freeing that amazing SRT-4 engine/transaxle from such an ugly prison (lumpy gawky 4 door sedan) would make it all worth it.

” Ironic how one LSD helps you keep your grip, while the other LSD helps you lose your grip…”

Very much so ! .

I have many vivid memories of John taking waayyyy too much LSD in (then scummy , not trendy) Old Town Pasadena in the mid 1970’s and freaking out totally , taking off his clothes , dancing in the street etc. .

One time he got nekkid and climbed on top of a pimp’s new Caddy Coupe as we all fell about , dented it in badly ~ I was worried the pimp would cut him to ribbons but the pimp got scared and called the Police instead….

Familiar but different.We had the Chrysler and later Talbot Horizon in the UK.As far as I know there weren’t any Shelby cars here.I think the factory experimented with a turbo but never made a production version

I’m familiar with pretty much all the Horizon variations ever sold, and I don’t understand the interior comment at all. It was possible to buy a Plymouth with an interior as austere as the one in a Talbot, but you could order an interior in a Plymouth that was much more luxurious if you chose to during most years of production. The Talbot also had one of those French steering wheels meant to be admired by people that have never driven a car. As for seating comfort, the Talbot’s seats were so ill-suited to human shapes that they probably couldn’t be used in the US due to our safety rules. It wasn’t uncommon to see aftermarket seats in Talbots in the Netherlands, even though they were not enthusiasts’ cars.

It’s 1,800 miles to Darby, Montana from my home in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Even though my wife is in trucking and logistics, I have to believe that the costs to ship the thing back will be more than $1,000.

I only rode in one of these once, back in the early ’90s. Ran out of gas and a co-worker picked me up in hers and took me to the nearest gas station. Don’t think it was a GLH model but it did have a red interior. I do recall the the car being quite roomy , with very comfy front seats, lots of room and a decent ride.

This GLH (which stands for goes like he**) is a nice example of a vanishing breed. I hope it finds a good home.

Had a blast on the local racer road in my GLH – mine was a first year non-turbo with the “shotgun” holey wheels. Yeah, the shifter sucked, the seats where shapeless, and I bought the only one on the lot without AC (saved me a little bit of money) but for the era it was a heck of a lot of fun. Those fat, low-profile Goodyears stuck like velcro – pick your line, let the rockhard shocks settle then just feel the car hang on all that traction. You had to feather the throttle to keep from lighting up the unweighted tire but the Shelby-ized 2.2 had a solid hit of torque right in the midrange. Little sucker was a hoot! Sure was fun smoking the other wannabe boy racers in their Fieros and GTIs. As long as you had some straight pavement to use the HP advantage that is…

I wonder what the spacing on the front to rear axel is on one of these?
If it was close enough I could jam it on top of the frame from my RamCharger.
With the hot 360 I have it would “GLH” any where you wanted!
That said, the handling would be, different.
Especially in 4wd.

Just my opinion, I would not buy a FWD for a hobby car. They are very difficult to work on. I have mangled my hands many times working on them, and had to cut out a large chunk of the inner fender on one in order to replace the water pump without removing the engine.

It’s funny to read that 110 horsepower out of 2.2 liters was respectable for its day, and indeed, it was.

I was in the home stretch of my undergraduate studies when this was a new car, and our parents thought nothing of sending us off to school in sub-80 horsepower, 2,000 pound cars with a 15 second 0 to 60 time (if you were lucky). Today, it’s almost as though you’d get a call from your state’s Child Protective Services if you didn’t send them off in nothing less than a 5,000 pound behemoth with no less than 300 horsepower.

Oh, and about half of us paid for our own cars and insurance back then, by working part-time while in school. (I went to school in the Coastal South, so I’ll spare you the stories of snow and hills).

I paid for my own car back then, a 1973 Pinto. I had no insurance, because until 1982, there was no law in my state requiring it. If there had been, I would not likely have had a car for a long time. I thought the Pinto was a decent enthusiast car, RWD, 2.0L OHC four with a Weber carb, and a 4 speed. Super easy to work on, and I tinkered with it all the time.

You could still buy all sorts of practical jokes from Europe here in the ’80s; cars that would ruin your medium term finances and your personal life. Renault even made cars in Kenosha Wisconsin. GM made the X-cars, J-cars, and three disastrous V8 engines in the ’80s. Ford’s own FWD cars sold in massive numbers only to disappear like locusts. Chrysler itself sold at least 10 cars worse than the L-bodies. I wouldn’t put the Omni on a list of the 100 worst cars of the ’80s.

This car should have ground effects on the side as I have a 1985 glh 2.2 Turbo and it has the side effects on both sides. I’m in Upstate New York and I have had this car for 7 years has been garage kept needs a little work but if anybody is interested please get ahold of me. Thanks Omni the fans.